Immaterialism (eBook)
140 Seiten
Wiley (Verlag)
978-1-5095-0100-7 (ISBN)
What objects exist in the social world and how should we understand them? Is a specific Pizza Hut restaurant as real as the employees, tables, napkins and pizzas of which it is composed, and as real as the Pizza Hut corporation with its headquarters in Wichita, the United States, the planet Earth and the social and economic impact of the restaurant on the lives of its employees and customers?
In this book the founder of object-oriented philosophy develops his approach in order to shed light on the nature and status of objects in social life. While it is often assumed that an interest in objects amounts to a form of materialism, Harman rejects this view and develops instead an 'immaterialist' method. By examining the work of leading contemporary thinkers such as Bruno Latour and Levi Bryant, he develops a forceful critique of 'actor-network theory'. In an extended discussion of Leibniz's famous example of the Dutch East India Company, Harman argues that this company qualifies for objecthood neither through 'what it is' or 'what it does', but through its irreducibility to either of these forms. The phases of its life, argues Harman, are not demarcated primarily by dramatic incidents but by moments of symbiosis, a term he draws from the biologist Lynn Margulis.
This book provides a key counterpoint to the now ubiquitous social theories of constant change, holistic networks, performative identities, and the construction of things by human practice. It will appeal to anyone interested in cutting-edge debates in philosophy and social and cultural theory.
Graham Harman is Distinguished University Professor in Philosophy at the American University in Cairo, Egypt
What objects exist in the social world and how should we understand them? Is a specific Pizza Hut restaurant as real as the employees, tables, napkins and pizzas of which it is composed, and as real as the Pizza Hut corporation with its headquarters in Wichita, the United States, the planet Earth and the social and economic impact of the restaurant on the lives of its employees and customers? In this book the founder of object-oriented philosophy develops his approach in order to shed light on the nature and status of objects in social life. While it is often assumed that an interest in objects amounts to a form of materialism, Harman rejects this view and develops instead an immaterialist method. By examining the work of leading contemporary thinkers such as Bruno Latour and Levi Bryant, he develops a forceful critique of actor-network theory . In an extended discussion of Leibniz s famous example of the Dutch East India Company, Harman argues that this company qualifies for objecthood neither through what it is or what it does , but through its irreducibility to either of these forms. The phases of its life, argues Harman, are not demarcated primarily by dramatic incidents but by moments of symbiosis, a term he draws from the biologist Lynn Margulis. This book provides a key counterpoint to the now ubiquitous social theories of constant change, holistic networks, performative identities, and the construction of things by human practice. It will appeal to anyone interested in cutting-edge debates in philosophy and social and cultural theory.
Graham Harman is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Southern California Institute of Architecture (on leave from the American University in Cairo).
Part One: Immaterialism
1. Objects and Actors
2. The Dangers of Duomining
3. Materialism and Immaterialism
4. Attempts to Evolve ANT
5. The Thing-in-Itself
Part Two: The Dutch East India Company
6. Introducing the VOC
7. On Symbiosis
8. Governor-General Coen
9. Batavia, the Spice Islands, and Malacca
10. The Intra-Asian VOC
11. Touching Base Again with ANT
12. Birth, Ripeness, Decadence, and Death
13. Fifteen Provisional Rules of OOO Method
References
"It is rare to find academic and philosophical writing that is this clear. Harman's explanations of not just his own position but also the other views to which he responds are thorough, concise and in a style and vocabulary that are accessible to non-experts."
The British Society for Literature and Science
'David Hulme's is a passionate and personal yet professional plea for attacking poverty rather than trying to stop bodies washing ashore in the Mediterranean. We can still argue about definitions of poverty and the value of charity, but it is no longer possible in our interconnected planet to deny the self-interests of the wealthy West in addressing pandemics, narco-trafficking, climate deterioration, and terrorism. Read why things have to change.'
Thomas G. Weiss, The Graduate Center, CUNY
Erscheint lt. Verlag | 27.6.2016 |
---|---|
Reihe/Serie | Theory Redux |
Sprache | englisch |
Themenwelt | Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika |
Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Metaphysik / Ontologie | |
Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Allgemeines / Lexika | |
Schlagworte | contemporary social theory • Immaterialismus • Philosophie • Philosophie in den Gesellschaftswissenschaften • Philosophy • Philosophy of social science • Sociology • Soziologie • Zeitgenössische Sozialtheorie • Zeitgenössische Sozialtheorie |
ISBN-10 | 1-5095-0100-2 / 1509501002 |
ISBN-13 | 978-1-5095-0100-7 / 9781509501007 |
Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Größe: 189 KB
Kopierschutz: Adobe-DRM
Adobe-DRM ist ein Kopierschutz, der das eBook vor Mißbrauch schützen soll. Dabei wird das eBook bereits beim Download auf Ihre persönliche Adobe-ID autorisiert. Lesen können Sie das eBook dann nur auf den Geräten, welche ebenfalls auf Ihre Adobe-ID registriert sind.
Details zum Adobe-DRM
Dateiformat: EPUB (Electronic Publication)
EPUB ist ein offener Standard für eBooks und eignet sich besonders zur Darstellung von Belletristik und Sachbüchern. Der Fließtext wird dynamisch an die Display- und Schriftgröße angepasst. Auch für mobile Lesegeräte ist EPUB daher gut geeignet.
Systemvoraussetzungen:
PC/Mac: Mit einem PC oder Mac können Sie dieses eBook lesen. Sie benötigen eine
eReader: Dieses eBook kann mit (fast) allen eBook-Readern gelesen werden. Mit dem amazon-Kindle ist es aber nicht kompatibel.
Smartphone/Tablet: Egal ob Apple oder Android, dieses eBook können Sie lesen. Sie benötigen eine
Geräteliste und zusätzliche Hinweise
Buying eBooks from abroad
For tax law reasons we can sell eBooks just within Germany and Switzerland. Regrettably we cannot fulfill eBook-orders from other countries.
aus dem Bereich